Australians urged to beware of STIs as numbers rise

Several spokespeople from a number of Australian states and territories have been urging the community to monitor their sexual health practices as rates of HIV rise and rates of Chlamydia soar.

A recently published report from the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research (NCHECR) at the University of New South Wales has revealed startling facts on the state of Australia’s sexual health.

There are currently 20,171 people living with HIV in Australia.

While the rate of HIV diagnosis has remained relatively stable over the past four years, there have still been 1,050 new reports since last year.

One of the more surprising trends was the high increase of HIV diagnosis among the age group 50–59.

Of this group, there has been a jump of 54 cases in 2001 to 125 cases in 2009, of which about 90% are males.

However, the biggest jump is in the rates of Chlamydia diagnoses, the most frequently reported condition in Australia in 2009 with 62,613 reported cases.

In the past four years the number of reported cases in the 20–29 age group was by far the highest, rising from about 23,000 to more than 34,000, with more cases being reported by women.

Another startling trend provoking health concerns is the rising trend of reported cases in the 15–19 age group.

The statistics have spurred government health warnings and have also generated public discussion.

Clinical director for the Terrence Higgins Trust Jason Warner stated on Australian national radio that one solution could involve implementing STI tests in pub toilets, as practiced in the UK.

Reference

1. McDonald A (ed). HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmissible infections in Australia: Annual Surveillance Report 2010 [online]. Sydney, NSW: University of New South Wales National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research; 18 October 2010 [cited 17 November 2010]. Available from: URL link